Mountain Biking - Need help chossing right front shocks.

I currently got some money and wanting to upgrade my front shocks. Damn rst's. These are my choices.... 96' Rock Shox Judy XC for $110 or 01' Rock Shox Judy C for $125....... or 2001 Manitou Mars for $150.........I've been search'n crazy for reviews. Can you guys help me choose? Which is the best, which is crappy? Plz help me.........

For the money you're talking about, forget anything more than 2 years old. The technology has trickled down to the lower end stuff and that '96 Judy is antiquated and one step away from the dump heap. The 2001 Manitou is probably your best bet. I'm not a big fan of Rock Shox's lower end stuff, I think Manitou's are better all around. If you can get a good deal on a Marzocchi, that's the fork I'd recommend at any price point.(Coil Sprung, NOT AIR).

As far as deals go, just ask FUBAR5, he just bought a new fork I believe it was a Manitou X-VERT and he got a great deal on it. Plus, he loves searching the net for good deals, I'm sure he'll help out, but in the meantime check out www.pricepoint.com they have some great closeouts on last years stuff.

BTW, what type of riding do you do and what kind of bike will this fork be on. The more information, the better we can help!

L8R G8R

Thanks for the advise. I have a heavy bike, Rst 281r front shocks, went to some trails, and busted them at a black diamond trail , they got jammed in, the water seal broke off, nasty site. I have a mongoose MGX Brx 6.5 bike. All shimano components. Not top of the line that u guys have, but they just fine. The trails near me have major roots, logs, bridges, etc. I do some downhilling here and there. What shocks would be good for less than $150.....I'm only 15 don't have THAT much money on me. Thanks for helping me!

I think Pricepoint.com has '01 Manitou Xverts for $149.00. With shipping it will prob. be about 160.00 or so. Do a few extra chores around the house for a week or ask your neighbors if they need any help doing anything, to earn a few extra bucks and you will be on your way.:D

Hey, I looked at the web-site u sent me. They have 2001 Manitou Magnum R for $90 and the 2001 Manitou Magnum for $60, what's the difference between these 2 shocks??

Originally posted by joshe236
Hey, I looked at the web-site u sent me. They have 2001 Manitou Magnum R for $90 and the 2001 Manitou Magnum for $60, what's the difference between these 2 shocks??

The R model has the TPC sport damping in one side and a spring/MCU stack in the other and has adjustable rebound. This fork will feel feel more plush than the other one that only has springs and MCUs. Trust me if you going to get one of these forks the Magnum R is well worth the extra $30.00. The Magnum is just one step above your RST. The R is atleast 3 steps maybe more above the RST.
I hope this answers your question.:)

If you can afford the X-vert it is awesome. I think I paid 159 or so including shipping. But if you are cash strapped Dirt Rag magazine gave the Magnum R a thumbs up. Accoring to them it tracks well and the stock spring is good. So the Magnum R is a good choice. What kind of riding do you do? That will be the deciding point.

Pricepoint.com has the best deals. I just checked the net and nobody is even close. www.airbomb.com has a Marzocchi Z.3 BAM for 219 but that might be out of your price range.

I'm considering upgrading my shock - the stock Suntour is adequate in warm weather but when it gets below freezing the elastomer goes solid reducing the 50 mm travel to about 10... As 80 - 90% of my riding is on tarmac or atleast hardpack it's not generally a problem, as I try and avoid the pot-holes but I do enjoy a bit of bridleway riding every so often.

Do all cheap coil forks suffer similar problems?

Richard

I think it is just MCU forks that freeze up in cold weather...I'm not sure though. I'll do some research about it. It seems that for cold weather and air fork might be best, but I am not a huge fan of air forks...

I really like the manitou shocks. I have the '01 mars and love it.However i don't do huge drops. It has a smooth ride, steers great and pretty adjustable.My father inlaw has a magnum r and he likes it a lot.It feels good.The xvert is also a excellent choice. www.mtbreview.com has good reviews to look at.

Originally posted by Richard D

Do all cheap coil forks suffer similar problems?
Richard

My bike came stock with a RS Indy. The first winter I had the bike, the shock's travel was next to nothing in the freezing temps. This is why I ended up buying the air/oil RS SID XC. I get the same performance with the SID no matter what the temp. The SID is not the ideal suspension fork for everybody, but it works very well in colder climates.

I'll be after something that's low on maintenance, cheap, light but strong, it doesn't need that much travel. It will be mainly used for commuting (generally a mixture of road and a little bit of easy going off-road) but I'd like something that could cope with roughish paths (I'm not looking for jumping). Am I right in thinking air shocks tend to be higher maintenance and less reliable?

Richard

I dont know.My '01 mars is air and i haven't had a lick of trouble.I've only had it 6 months,But it has had plenty of trail time. I've done regular maintenance as well as swapping the spring for a heavier,nothing to it.It soaks up the roots and small rocks a 100 times better than the suntour on the bike originally.

If you want reliablity, stick with coil springs and oil. Elastomers like mentioned break down over time and get stiff in cold weather. Air is more of a problem if maintenance is not done as dirt can contaminate the seals and cause blow-by. Not an issue if you regularly clean your bike, but an issue for constant bad weather and dirty conditions.